Customer Experience

A look back, and a look ahead

Kiosk Marketplace is taking a look back at some of the major stories of 2025 as well as fielding a few predictions about what 2026 may hold.

Photo: Adobe Stock

January 20, 2026 by Richard Slawsky

As is traditional in January, especially in the world of journalism, Kiosk Marketplace is taking a look back at some of the major stories of 2025 as well as fielding a few predictions about what 2026 may hold.

Although it's difficult to point to any single story as being the major news of the past year, there were several that spotlighted larger trends. The use of kiosk technology continues to expand into new areas, improving service delivery in the process. Along with those mentioned below, kiosks are improving access to services including legal help, social support and healthcare.

And while it may be tempting to toot the industry horn and focus only on the positive stories, that would be a bit disingenuous. There were some stumbles over the year, including failed rollouts and crypto controversies.

With that in mind, here were some of the biggest stories of 2025:

CarzRent intros airport kiosk

Anyone who's ever rented a car at the airport likely knows what a time-consuming process that can be. The introduction of CarzRent self-service kioskshighlighted continued innovation in transportation and rental services by offering travelers faster, contactless processes and reduced queues. By automating key steps such as vehicle selection, verification, and checkout, these kiosks help reduce counter congestion and improve throughput during peak travel periods.

Uber to install kiosks in 2026

If someone isn't a regular user of such services, they likely don't have a rideshare app on their smartphone, if they have a smartphone at all. Uber's plan to roll out ride-hailing kiosks in high-traffic locations such as airports and hotels is an example of how major brands are adopting unattended interfaces to broaden accessibility for customers without smartphone access.

Self-checkout popularity grows among shoppers

Despite the extent to which self-checkout has been demonized over the past few years, it appears to be here to stay. A recent consumer surveyhighlighted a growing preference for self-checkout options across various retail sectors. Shoppers cited speed, control, and convenience as primary drivers, especially in grocery and big-box environments.

Ohio to remove 93% of sports betting kiosks after failed rollout

Not every deployment will be a success. The vast majority of sports betting kiosks located in Ohio's bars, restaurants, and grocery stores were removed in June, as they failed to generate significant revenue. The primary reason for the failure is the overwhelming dominance of mobile sports betting. Kiosks also faced limitations, including a $700 weekly wager limit and restrictions on popular betting types, such as prop and in-game bets.

St. Paul, Minnesota, to vote on crypto kiosk ban

This was just one of the many stories from the past year about issues related to cryptocurrency kiosks and how they've been used in consumer scams. In Minnesota alone, there have been $91 million in scam-related losses, according to a KSTP report. A typical scam involves a victim receiving a phone call, text, email, or pop-up claiming to be from a bank, IRS, police, utility company, tech support, or even a family member. The scammer outlines an issue, such as an outstanding warrant or impending utility shutoff, and insists it can only be fixed immediately by sending funds via a cryptocurrency kiosk.

And a look ahead

From retail and travel to healthcare, government, and social services, self-service technology continued to expand its footprint, driven by labor pressures, rising customer expectations, and rapid advances in software and connectivity. With that momentum in mind, the year ahead is likely to bring further evolution as operators and solution providers refine how kiosks are deployed, managed, and integrated.

The following five predictions outline our expectations for the direction of the kiosk market in the coming year and what those shifts could mean for the broader self-service landscape.

Increased demand for ready-made solutions

Kiosk deployers are shying away from self-service experiments, instead looking more and more for solution providers to do the heavy lifting. Many in the industry are seeing a continued shift toward turnkey solutions.

"Customers are increasingly looking for outcomes, not components — they don't want to buy a kiosk and then figure out hardware, software, UI, security, and support on their own," said Advanced Kiosks president Howard Horn in an email interview.

"In response, we've been doubling down on complete, purpose-built solutions rather than one-off builds," Horn said. One of the company's latest products is its new Vault Self-Service Payment Kiosk, an enterprise-grade solution designed to automate in-person bill payments and funds collection.

Kiosks go from a luxury to a necessity

Organizations are under increasing pressure to deliver faster service with fewer staff while maintaining control over operating costs. Rising customer expectations for convenience, speed, and digital-first interactions mean that kiosks are often the most practical way to maintain service levels.

At the same time, kiosks provide consistency, extended availability, and data-driven insights that many organizations can no longer afford to operate without.

"(Last year) reinforced the point that kiosks are no longer experimental for many organizations; they've become core infrastructure," said Olea Kiosks CEO Frank Olea via a LinkedIn message. "Because of that, 2026 should bring more focus on total cost of ownership, serviceability and long-term support, not just the initial deployment cost."

Pricing volatility continues to be a concern

Volatility in the pricing of kiosk hardware is forcing organizations to be more strategic about when and how they invest in new deployments.

"Looking toward 2026, component pricing volatility is likely to remain a factor, especially around memory and compute," Olea said. "RAM pricing has always been cyclical, and that uncertainty will likely continue to put some pressure on PC-based kiosk platforms."

How that will affect the industry remains to be seen, but price fluctuations driven by component costs, supply chain disruptions, and global trade dynamics may ultimately delay rollouts or prompt buyers to adopt phased implementations rather than making large, upfront purchases.

Assisted self-service takes a stronger role

The future of automated retail and service environments is expected to shift toward blended hybrid models, where kiosks, AI systems, and live staff work together to improve convenience, reduce friction and improve data collection, according to predictions outlined in an article by Coral Gables, Fla.-based retail solutions and consulting firm The Revenue Optimization Companies (T-ROC).

The concept of assisted self-service has been around for several years, with companies such as Advanced Kiosks, Diebold Nixdorf, and RedyRef Interactive offering kiosk models designed to incorporate interactions with a live agent. Changes and cost-cutting measures in areas such as banking and healthcare are likely to increase the demand for assisted self-service devices.

And of course…

For most kiosk manufacturers, the biggest story of the past year (and heading into 2026) is clearly AI, but less in hype and more in practical application.

"For us, that's meant actively incorporating AI into our Zamok software platform to add real functionality: better user guidance, smarter workflows, cleaner data capture, and less friction for both end users and staff," Horn said. "It's not 'AI for AI's sake,' but using it to make self-service systems more effective and easier to deploy."

And as AI expands, the way it's used with kiosks will change.

"AI will migrate to edge computing and local -- away from the now "conventional" Anthropic and ChatGPT web models and rendering datacenters mitigated," said Craig Keefner, manager of the Kiosk Industry Association, in an email interview. To facilitate this, the industry will see the decline of the Intel J1900 Celeron as it stratifies into ultra-cheap USB sticks or TOPS-rated mini PCs that handle AI locally, Keefner said.

Additional changes and opportunities on the horizon

Although these are five of the major predictions for the upcoming year, there are undoubtedly other changes coming down the pike. According to Keefner, 2026 may be the year when banks and card brands will finally be compelled to lower their interchange rates.

Others see a significant reshaping of the industry, with a continuing convergence of kiosk and vending applications. Larger brands are beginning to utilize kiosk technology to engage consumers in categories such as apparel, cosmetics, novelty, and lifestyle products, creating convenience-led brand experiences outside of traditional stores, said Josh Rosenberg, founder of business consulting and growth services firm Forward Thinkers, via email.

"The challenge is that many of these brands lack line of sight into operations, last-mile execution, and route-to-market capabilities," Rosenberg said.

"That gap represents a significant opportunity for operators," he said. "Those who can adopt a model similar to Amazon's last-mile mindset, acting as a service and distribution partner rather than just a product replenisher, can build deeper brand relationships and expand share of wallet."

Looking ahead, as kiosks are increasingly seen as core infrastructure rather than optional add-ons, success will depend more on thoughtful deployment strategies, long-term support models, and the ability to adapt to shifting cost, technology, and customer-experience dynamics. For manufacturers, solution providers, and operators alike, the year ahead will reward those who view self-service not as a standalone channel, but as a strategic platform; one that blends automation, human assistance, and intelligent software to deliver sustainable value in an increasingly complex service landscape.

Do you have an idea for something you think we should cover this year? Drop us a line at editor@kioskmarketplace.comand let us know!

About Richard Slawsky

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